Cursed Love
by LumenSnape
Summary: AU. Regina allows Belle to have a life in Storybrooke, not realizing that Rumplestiltskin had worked into the curse that he would remember the past life once Emma comes to town. Now he remembers Belle and knows she's still alive, but despite strangely being drawn to him, she doesn't remember him. Can he make her remember?


_**Summary: **_AU. Rated M for language and adult situations in future chapters. What would have happened if Regina had decided to let Belle have a life in Storybrooke rather than locking her away in the hospital for 28 years? What would happen when Emma showed up in town, Mr. Gold overhearing her name and thus gaining back his memories? Suddenly, he remembers Belle, but she doesn't remember him. Does the way he treated her before the curse keep him from trying to win her love or does he see it as a chance to start over?

_**A/N: **_Belle is going to be given the name Lacey in Storybrooke until she regains her memories. It's the name Regina picked for her, after all. This version of Lacey isn't quite the bad boy loving vixen she was on OUAT though. She's our Belle as we now and love her. That Lacey I think was something Regina created just to get under Rumple's skin. Without having been locked away after the curse, I imagine her being more like herself in personality, much like most of the others in Storybrooke.

I like to change points of view so we know what both characters are thinking throughout the story. I'm not the fastest updater because I like to reread and edit a lot before I publish. You've been warned :) That said, I will try to update as soon as I can. I'm not quite certain how long this story will be yet. Not sure if all the chapters will all be this long or if I'll break them up more to update more often. Reviews are always welcome and the more people who show me they're interested, the bigger the fire you'll light under my ass to continue.

_**Disclaimer: **_I do not own these characters or any direct quotes I may pull from canon. This is for entertainment purposes only.

**Chapter One:**

_**Fairytale Land, Pre-curse**_

Moonlight filtered in through the barred windows carved into the walls of the sparsely furnished room, illuminating the space well enough that Belle could clearly see the faint bruises on her arms. A tear slipped down her cheek, landing on her lap and leaving darkened splotches on her blue dress, evidence that she'd allowed him to make her cry. She had tried not to. She didn't want to seem weak in front of him, always having been so brave and unafraid of him in the past. He was off somewhere deeper into the castle now, and with the freedom his absence afforded her, the emotions were getting the better of her.

It was a kiss, nothing more, that had set him off. She had known it was in him to get angry and even to become violent. She had seen it for herself when he magically removed a man's tongue from his mouth, but for some reason it had never once crossed her mind that he might do something to her. Besides, he only did that to protect Belle from the smarmy licentious sherrif who was trying to bargain for a night in bed with her.

He had always treated her with a kindness he never showed to anyone else, and she saw the good in him that he tried to bury behind a mask of eccentricity and wickedness. She had thought she was special to him, so when his hands had gripped her arms tightly and he'd begun shaking her hard enough to make her teeth rattle, she couldn't think fast enough to stop him.

"No one could ever, ever love me!" he'd screamed at her, and she turned away from him, too scared to look at him, or fight for him, to tell him he was wrong and that in spite of the bruises he was giving her, she did love him.

She loved him so much it made her heart ache, and as she sat in her dungeon-like room thinking back on the incident that had landed her viciously onto hands and knees in that very room, she wondered why. She should hate him. He had love right in front of him and he'd treated it brutally... treated _her_ brutally. If he was so unwilling to accept her love, why should she fight so hard to give it to him? Most women with a shred of dignity would run from a man like him, would have done so the minute he let her go to town for straw. So why was she sitting there in semi-darkness wishing he would change his mind and come to her?

Belle wiped another tear from her face and sighed. "Because he's worth fighting for," she whispered, resolving to try to make him see reason the next time she saw him.

Somewhere off in the castle, she could hear his rage taking over. She heard the sounds of objects crashing and glass breaking. She could hear the shattering of some of his beloved treasures as he threw them across the room. With every crash, she jumped. She knew he was angry, whether at her, the queen, or himself she couldn't know.

She wished she could go to him, wrap her arms around him and console him. She wanted to run her hands through his hair and tell him it would be alright, that she could wait for him to love her back, and if he never did, that was ok too. She could go back to the way it was and clean and cook for him. She'd even give her pillow back. Anything for him to just calm down and make the rage stop.

Hours passed and the moon traveled high in the sky casting it's light further up the wall and further from the marks he had left on her. The crashing had stopped and the castle was now eerily silent, the only sounds coming from the crickets somewhere off in the night. Her eyelids were finally getting heavy enough for sleep to come when she heard the lock click in the door. She sat still as could be as he walked into the room stoically. She wished he would apologize. She wished he would crack a joke and smile at her as he'd done so many times before when he'd realized he was wrong but couldn't quite drop the mask and admit it out loud. Anything but what the look on his face was telling her.

"So, what are you going to do to me?" She asked, unsure she really wanted his answer.

He pointed to the door. "Go," he said firmly, a look of disgust on his face.

"Go?"

"I don't want you anymore, dearie."

She stood from her makeshift bed and brushed her hands on her skirt, her mind racing. The last thing she wanted was to go. She made her way to the door, stopping in her tracks to turn back and face him. She wanted him to look into her eyes and tell her he didn't love her. It was the least he could do.

"You were freeing yourself. You could have had happiness if you just believed someone that could want you. But you couldn't take the chance," she spat at him, angrily.

"That's a lie," he answered.

"You're a coward, Rumplestiltskin, and no matter how thick you make your skin, that doesn't change."

"I'm not a coward, dearie. It's quite simple really. My power means more to me than you," he said, though his eyes gave him away. She knew he loved her. He was just too scared to give up his magic for her.

"No. No it doesn't. You just don't think I could love you. Now you've made your choice, and you're going to regret it. Forever. All you'll have is an empty heart and a chipped cup." She turned away from him, willing her tears not to fall as she stormed out of the castle and away from the only man she ever loved.

"How could he?" she whispered to herself in the dark. She didn't know where she was going, only that she had to get away from there. It was unbelievable that the proof was there in front of him. He had begun to change when they kissed. She was his true love and he still tossed her out on her ass.

For the second time that day, she was wondering why she should care. He wasn't a particularly nice man. He'd hurt her physically and emotionally. He had more evil in him than good. But it was that good, those few small windows of kindness that she clung to. It was the rose he'd presented her with and the trust he showed to let her leave. It was his change of heart after he'd set out to kill Robin Hood and his unwillingness to pimp her out to the Sheriff. He loved her, but he would never admit it to her when he couldn't even admit it to himself.

She almost turned around a few times, changing her mind every time. He would regret it, and he would come looking for her once he'd realized what he'd done. Why should she go back to him when he made it so clear he didn't want her there?

The sun was coming up when she finally found her way to a tavern. There was an inn attached and she walked inside and asked for a room. Belle wondered if she should go home to her village. Surely Rumple would go there first when he decided to look for her. But what would she tell her father? She was home because she fell in love with her captor and he threw her out? Or that he'd just decided to let her go? One excuse was more unbelievable than the next.

She spent more time in that little inn than she had planned. She met dwarves and drank tankards of beer. Days turned into weeks and she had begun to stagnate in that place before her sense of adventure and a little push from a dwarf named Dreamy sent her looking for an adventure.

Defeating the Yaoguai and turning him back into a prince had been a wonderful rush. It served as just the right motivation to go back to Rumple. Perhaps he missed her and would realize his feelings when he saw her again. Or maybe he had been looking for her and couldn't find her because she'd never gone home. She wouldn't know unless she went to him. If he rejected her again, she would try to move on.

"I'm coming Rumple," she announced to the wide open air.

Before she could take a step, she was abruptly captured by the Evil Queen. With an impassioned shout that she would never stop fighting for him, she was rolled off to be imprisoned in Regina's castle.

Belle stopped counting the days after a while, and she had no idea how long she'd been there. She had long since given up hope that Rumple would rescue her. Perhaps he didn't care for her after all. Maybe it wasn't true love that had almost made him change back into a man. The queen had probably just used Belle's feelings against her and spelled her lips or something.

It didn't matter now. She was stuck in a dungeon far worse than anything she'd experienced in Rumple's castle. Her clothes hadn't been changed, and she hadn't been allowed to bathe. She was only fed once a day. And to make matters worse, she had no idea why she was there. If the queen had conspired to take Rumple's powers through the use of Belle, why wasn't she trying to push them together again. None of it made sense.

Then one day, the purple mist came, and Belle had no idea who she was, let alone who Rumple had been to her.

_**28 Years Later, Storybrooke, Maine**_

Mr. Gold wiped his mouth on his napkin after finishing a less than appetizing meal at Granny's diner and left a twenty on the table in front of his plate. He slid out of the booth and retrieved his cane before walking toward the door. He looked down at the golden handle and tried to recall, for what felt like the thousandth time, how it was he'd come to need the cane in the first place. He couldn't for the life of him remember the initial injury that caused his limping gait.

Come to think of it, he couldn't remember buying his house, or becoming a shop owner. Every memory that existed in his mind was fuzzy. It was thoughts like this that distracted him often. He was so distracted by trying to remember where his limp came from that he crashed head-on with the tiny woman who ran the town library.

She tumbled back a couple steps, teetering on her dangerously high heels before focusing on the man who'd grabed her arm to steady her. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry Mr. Gold!" Lacey said, picking up the cane that had been knocked out of his grasp by the force of their collision.

Mr. Gold accepted the cane she held out to him and tried to sneer at her and tell her to watch where she was going, but all that came out was, "No matter." It really was unfair how this little wisp of a girl unbalanced him so effectively.

"No, Mr. Gold, I wasn't looking where I was going." She stooped again to pick up the book she'd been carrying and held it up as if to prove it. "It was so good, I couldn't put it down!"

A small smile spread across Mr. Gold's mouth as he thought about how adorable the wee bookworm was. "I wouldn't know. I don't indulge in reading very often."

"You should try it some time. It's magical. A book can transport you to a whole different world!" Lacey said passionately before coming to her senses and realizing who she was talking to. Everyone was scared of him, though she often wondered why. He didn't seem too bad. "Anyway, Mr. Gold, sorry again for crashing into you like that."

He watched her bite her lip in embarrassment and had the sudden urge to kiss that look right off her face. What was wrong with him tonight? "I too was distracted. Don't worry your head about it. Goodnight Miss French," he said with a tiny half-smile.

"Goodnight Mr. Gold."

Lacey disappeared into the diner and Mr. Gold walked toward Granny's Inn to collect his rent for the month. As he walked the short distance, his thoughts strayed to Miss French. He saw her around town often and always thought her pretty. He was drawn to her. She seemed interesting and smart, but there was always something holding him back from speaking to her in any real capacity. In fact, that was probably the longest conversation he'd ever had with her, and it had taken nearly knocking her on her arse.

Mr. Gold slipped silently into the lobby of the small inn only to be met by the back of a blond head.

"Now, what's the name?" Granny asked the blonde.

"Swan. Emma Swan," the woman replied.

It came back to him fast, in flashes not unlike near death experiences he'd heard about. His entire life, laid out for him in his head. Injuring himself to go home to his family. Becoming the Dark One. Losing Baelfire. Shunning Belle. The curse he'd forged for Regina to cast. Snow White and Prince Charming's child, Emma. He was Rumplestiltskin. Every missing year of his memory was explained to him in the blink of an eye.

The savior had come.

"Emma. What a lovely name," Gold said with a satisfied smirk.

"Thanks," Emma replied warily, and Mr. Gold smiled at her.

Granny leaned over the counter and handed him a roll of money. "It's all here," she said, no kindness in her voice.

"Yes, yes, of course it is dear, thank you," he replied softly, retrieving the money before turning back to the town newcomer. "You enjoy your stay, Emma."

He left the inn, leaning against the outside wall for a moment to absorb what had just happened as voices continued to carry through the door. The failsafe he'd built into the curse had worked. The lost princess had arrived and he knew who he was. Now he just needed her to break the curse so he could leave this place and find his son. But first, he had to check on someone else he loved.

Regina had told him Belle had died, and yet he'd just crashed into her only moments earlier. The meddling, conniving bitch! Belle was alive and well and right under his nose for twenty-eight years now, though he never realized it. No wonder he'd always felt drawn to the librarian. He had to connect with her. Perhaps Emma's appearance in town had weakened the curse enough that she'd remember him. Maybe she could forgive him for tossing her from his home so many years ago.

He hurried back to the diner as quickly as his disability would allow him. When he walked through the door, the place was empty save for a few souls at the counter. His Belle was no longer there.

"Excuse me, where has Miss French gone to?" he asked the waitress on duty.

"Lacey? She went home. Stopped in for her take out order and took off." the woman answered.

"Thank you, dearie."

Mr. Gold left the diner, wondering what his next course of action could be. Should he approach her at all? No one seemed to have regained their memories. Chances were she hadn't either. He'd only written into the curse that he himself would remember when Emma came back. If only he had known Belle was alive.

Before he realized he was heading to the library at all, he was standing at the doors. He tried to pull one open only to fail. Clearly, she had closed for the night. He walked back toward his shop to retrieve his Cadillac and something made him turn around and look back toward the library. A light turned on in one of the upstairs windows and through the translucent curtains he saw her walk past. He felt his breath leave his body when he saw she wore nothing but a thin nightie trimmed in delicate lace. It fell many inches above her knee and it was cut down to there. He felt a fire ignite deep inside him as he saw more of his Belle than he'd ever been allowed to see back in the Dark Castle.

The light turned out moments later, and Mr. Gold fought the urge to break into the library and bang on the door to her apartment. He didn't want to scare her. No, this would have to be dealt with delicately.

_**Storybrooke, Maine, The following day**_

"Good morning Lacey! The usual," Ruby said, cheerily as she handed Lacey a brown paper bag and a to-go cup with a red and white swirled straw sticking out of the lid.

Lacey handed Ruby the exact amount of money she handed her every morning. "Thanks, Ruby. See you later!"

Lacey took the bag containing a plain bagel, toasted and buttered and an iced tea, sweetened with lemon and made her way back to the library. She was a creature of habit and she was walking back through the doors at exactly 8:05am, as she did every morning without fail. By 8:30, she was brushing the crumbs from the countertop into the wastebasket and sipping the last of the tea. She had enough time to run up to the apartment, brush her teeth, freshen her lipstick and be downstairs with plenty of time to shelve some books and open the doors at precisely 9:00am.

It was the same thing every day, but instead of being monotonous it was comforting to her. There was something to be said about being dependable, even if the library was one of the least visited places in town. You would think in a small town where time seemed to stand still, people would have nothing better to do than read, but most days it was just her and the books, and Lacey actually preferred it that way most of the time. Sure, she could use a little adventure and danger in her life, but when all else fails she could find those things inside the pages.

That morning was a bit different than every other morning, however. For one, by 9:05, she wasn't alone with her books. For two, Mr. Gold was in her library. She'd never seen him in the library. Come to think of it, she wasn't sure the two of them had even exchanged more than a cordial "good morning," or "good evening," when seeing each other around town. The night before was easily the longest the two had ever spent in each other's presence, and that was nothing more than an accident. She didn't know much about him aside from what everyone else knew. He was a shrewd businessman who had no family, no friends, no attachments to speak of. He walked with a limp of unknown origin. He was handsome and well dressed in perfectly tailored suits, yet sinister enough to keep women from making advances towards him. That was where her knowledge of the man ended. She didn't even know his first name.

She longed to know more about him and often found herself oddly drawn to him. There were times she would see him out on the street or in Granny's and she'd find herself staring at him. Yes, she admitted, he was a handsome man, albeit many years older than she was and a touch gimpy. But he was a mystery to her and oh, how she loved a mystery! She just knew deep down he was so much more than the townsfolk made him out to be. He was the town pariah, and it pained her to think of how lonely the man must be. She could relate. She was friendly enough with people in town. Everyone knew her, and she knew everyone, but for some reason no one ever thought to invite her out for a girl's night and she couldn't remember the last time she'd been on a date. Perhaps she should try to get to know Mr. Gold a little. She just hoped her curiosity wouldn't come back to bite her in the ass.

"Good morning," Lacey said cordially as he walked past the circulation desk.

He looked at her as if searching her face for something. When he didn't find it, he simply returned her "Good morning," in his clipped Scottish accent.

He perused the books in a most unusual manner as she watched curiously. He started in classic literature, running his eyes over titles without picking up a single book. Then he was in the reference section, doing the same. He had made his way through mysteries, romance and finally into the children's books before Lacey intervened.

"Can I help you find something?" she asked, touching his arm briefly before pulling it away again when he flinched.

"No, thank you," he replied, looking at the hand she'd snatched away so hastily. "I was just looking for something to read in my spare time." He looked nervous, his fingers fiddling with the handle of his cane.

She looked at him skeptically. How would he pick out a book when he never even removed a single one from the shelves. "Well, if you need a suggestion, I've read almost everything here. Well, maybe not these, at least not for many years now," she said, gesturing towards the shelves of children's books. "Though, _The Cat In The Hat _is probably my favorite."

Mr. Gold looked embarrassed. "I must have wandered away from the novels."

Lacey smiled at the man, wondering why it was he scared so many people in town. He seemed harmless enough. Shy, even. From Lacey's judgment, he was halfway to crippled and slightly past middle-aged. What was there to be afraid of? She looped her arm through his and began to lead him towards the shelves that held the more grown-up books, and surprisingly, he allowed himself to be led by her. "What kind of books do you like, Mr. Gold?" she asked, truly curious. "We have shelves and shelves of mysteries, science fiction is on that wall, or are you more of a romantic?"

Gold pulled away from her then, blinking rapidly. "I don't read often."

"Ok. Literature, perhaps? Do you like the classics?" She reached up and pulled a book from the shelf. "Perhaps _Gone With the Wind? _It's a bit lengthy, but it's a real page turner and it has a little bit of everything. War, romance, tragedy. It's one of my favorites. You'd probably enjoy it if you can get past the unrealistic views of slavery."

Mr. Gold took the book from her and tucked it under his arm. He hadn't come with the intent of checking out a book, yet he found himself charmed into taking her first suggestion. Lacey led him to the desk to begin the check out progress and asked to see his library card.

"I don't have one," he said, embarrassed once again.

"Don't worry about it. Most people in town don't have one. It's usually kids with book reports to do or lonely old ladies I see in here. Mary Margaret comes in every couple weeks to check out books for her class. You're actually the only person I've seen in here for a couple days." Lacey gave him a card to fill out as she continued speaking. "You'd think I'd get lonely, but I always have my books. I can be anyone or go anywhere in a story. There's so many adventures to be had inside a book."

"We may sit in our library and yet be in all quarters of the earth," he replied as if to show his acceptance for her passion for reading.

"John Lubbock. I told you I read a lot,"she said with a sly smile when Gold raised his eyebrows in surprise of her knowing who had originally uttered the famous quote. "And how right Mr. Lubbock is! I feel like I've seen the world, when I've never once been out of Storybrooke. Maybe one day I can do more than just read about adventures. I'd love to see the world."

"Are you sure you're not lonely?" Mr. Gold asked, a hint of a smile on his face. "You seem to be jumping at the opportunity for conversation."

Lacey looked up then, blushing a deep scarlet. "Sorry, I was rambling. Perhaps you're right. It is nice to talk to another human being." She handed him the book and laid the new library card on top. "It's due back in two weeks, but I have a feeling I wouldn't get any late charges out of you if I tried and no one is rushing in to check out books, so keep it as long as you like."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, amused.

"You know your reputation precedes you, Mr. Gold," she answered with a smile. "Though I'm not sure I believe any of it."

He gave her a sideways smirk before changing the subject. "Did you know we have a guest in town? Emma Swan. She's the birth mother of the mayor's kid."

"Now who's looking for someone to talk to," Lacey said with a smile. "And no, I didn't know. I didn't even realize Henry was adopted. I should really try coming out of the stacks every once in a while so I can keep up with the town gossip."

"It's odd, her showing up here, is it not? It's not like we get many visitors here in Storybrooke," Gold mused.

"I've never really thought about it," Lacey said thoughtfully. In fact, she'd never seen anyone in town she didn't know at least by face if not by name. Being a coastal town, you'd think someone would have come through Storybrooke over the years. The docks were cluttered with fishing boats that no one ever seemed to take out to sea, and the coastline boasted a beautiful beach that didn't bring any sun worshippers. "But now that you mention it, no, I can't remember ever seeing someone new in town. Odd."

"The clock is working again as well," Gold continued pointing straight up to indicate the clock on top of the very building they stood inside.

"Really? That clock has never worked, as long as I've lived here."

"And how long is that?" Gold asked, as if prompting her.

Lacey frowned, thinking about it. "I... I don't know. As long as I can remember. I must have been born here... That sounds strange."

"A bit," Gold agreed. "Well, I'm off. Thank you for the book, Belle."

"Who's Belle?" Lacey asked, laughing. Of course he didn't know her first name.

Mr. Gold smiled back at her. "Sorry, I forgot, what is your name again?"

"Lacey."

"Ah. Now I remember," he said, sounding a little sad. The smile had gone from his face now as he clutched the book to his chest with the hand not clutching his gold-handled cane. "Thank you again, Lacey. I'll get it back on time. I wouldn't want you to have to shake me down for the ten cents a day."

Mr. Gold turned to leave the library, and Lacey stood behind the circulation desk staring after him long after the door had closed behind him. Something about the meeting had left her feeling shaken. It was like he was fishing for something, but what?

She shook her head, confused by the entire meeting. Why had she rambled on like that, as if she'd known him forever? He was practically a stranger to her. She nervously smoothed her skirt to have something to do with her trembling hands and reluctantly tore her eyes off the door.

"Now, back to my life," she said aloud to no one. She rounded the corner of the desk to go pick out a book for the day and a flash of white on the floor near the door caught her eye. Walking over, she picked the object up. Mr. Gold's library card. It must have slipped off the book while he was carrying it out. Lacey slid the card into the pocket of her skirt and resolved to drop it at Gold's shop when she closed for lunch.

She settled into her favorite plush chair in the corner of the library and tried to get lost in her book, but the clock kept taunting her. Why was she so anxious to go drop off the card? Why was she checking the time every five minutes? Finally, after a couple hours of skimming the text in her lap she slammed the book shut and closed early for lunch. "It's not like anyone will notice," she justified as she locked the door behind her and walked down the street to the little pawn shop.

The little bell above the door tickled melodically as Lacey opened the door of the shop, entering it for the first time in her life. The shop was as empty as her library usually was, and she wondered why she'd never been in before. The items inside were beautiful and she found herself browsing while she waited for Mr. Gold to come out from the back. She ran her fingertips over a pair of puppets, shuddering at their gruesome appearance. Stooping low, she looked over the objects Gold had found precious enough to lock away behind the glass in the showcases that framed the room. There were jewels, teacups and random knick knacks, all tucked safely away from dust and greedy hands. Artwork and antique weapons hung on the wall along with musical instruments. There was something for everyone in the shop, and she promised herself she would be back again to add a little aesthetic interest to her sparsely furnished apartment above the library.

She was studying a crystal mobile when he appeared behind the counter.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" He said, announcing himself.

Lacey jumped. He had entered so quietly, she hadn't even known he was there. For all she knew, he could have been watching her for some time."Yes, it is. I love unicorns."

"I'm sorry if I gave you a start," he said.

"Don't worry about it. I just... You, um, dropped your library card." She shoved her hand into her pocket, retrieving it and handing it back to him.

"Thank you for bringing it to me." He said, his eyes never leaving hers as he took the card, his fingers brushing hers lightly. "Have you had lunch?"

Lacey was torn. On one hand, she hadn't had lunch and was beginning to feel a bit peckish. On the other, this was Mr. Gold. The widely-feared-by-all Mr. Gold. Yet, he had done nothing that made him seem so scary to her and she had resolved to get to know him better, after all.

"No, I haven't. I was just going to grab a sandwich or something at Granny's." Of course she was. It was her routine. But it was also her routine to close at precisely noon for lunch and it was just now barely 11:30. Rules had already been broken today, so why stop now? Perhaps she could just consider this a baby step toward adeventure. You have to start somewhere.

"Well, I just happen to have some sandwiches here, and I can make some tea if you'd care to join me. As a thank you for saving me a trip back to the library."

He gestured towards the back of his shop and Lacey was intrigued. He was allowing her into his private space. Why? This man was indeed an enigma.

She followed him into the back room which held many of the same types of treasures she had seen in the shop. "You have so many beautiful things here. I'll have to come in sometime and look more closely. My apartment could use a few things." Lacey said as she ran her fingers across a garment made of the smoothest yellow silk. "This looks like something out of a story book."

Mr. Gold walked up behind her, close enough that she could feel his warm breath against her ear. She shivered involuntarily, puzzled by her body's reaction and the fact that she had to fight off the urge to lean back against him . "It's a gown, nothing more," he said softly. He slid around her now, his arm brushing hers as he picked up the gown. He held it out to her. "It looks like it would fit you."

She smiled and took the gown, holding it up to herself, modeling it. "What do you think? Do I look like a princess?" She laughed then, swooping into a mock curtsy as she held the dress to her chest with one arm. It really did seem like it would be a perfect fit. It wasn't even too long as most dresses were on her.

"You do," he said softly, a wistful smile playing on his lips. "You should have it. It suits you."

Lacey laughed harder then. "Don't be ridiculous. Where would I wear something like this? Disney World? Perhaps it would make a good Halloween costume. I haven't gone trick or treating in..." She trailed off trying to remember if she had ever been trick or treating. She couldn't even remember her childhood. "Well, never mind. Thank you, but I have no use for this."

The smile fell away from his face and he gently took the gown back, putting it on a hanger and hanging it on a coat rack in the back corner of the office. He smoothed the fabric then stood a few seconds, staring at the gown where it hung.

"I'm sorry," Lacey said then. "I didn't mean to upset..."

"No bother. You're right. It is terribly outdated." Sighing wistfully, he turned away from the garment and forced a smile for Lacey's benefit. He took out some teacups and laid out some sandwiches on his desk before pulling an extra chair over. "Sit, please. I'll warm the tea."

"I could do it," She offered, nodding toward the cane. "Why don't you get off your feet?"

"I'm not an invalid, dearie. I can handle warming tea. I do it every day," he said. There was a touch of scorn in his voice, but he forced another smile to put her at ease again.

He disappeared then, and Lacey was left feeling unsettled as she lowered herself into a chair. Why had his whole demeanor changed when she'd refused the dress? This whole situation was starting to feel very strange. Was it even an accident that he'd dropped his library card? Why was the dress sitting out so prominently only to be buried at the back of the office when she'd refused it? Why was Gold showering her with so much attention all of the sudden? She glanced at the back door and briefly considered slipping through it before finally deciding that would be rude and against her new getting-to-know-Gold mission.

"Here we are," Gold said as he returned with a little white teapot. He poured the tea into the two cups, putting just the right amount of sugar into hers.

"How did you know how I take my tea?" Lacey asked, alarmed.

"Oh... that was my cup," he said, though she didn't quite believe him. "But from that reaction, I now know you take yours the same." He fixed the second cup and pushed it in front of her.

Lacey picked up a sandwich half and bit into it as Gold sat down across from her, setting his cane aside for the time being. They ate in comfortable silence, Lacey finishing her sandwich quickly. She hadn't even realized how hungry she had been until she'd begun to eat.

She picked up her teacup to take a sip and felt something sharp pierce her lip."Ow!" She yelped, pulling the cup away and replacing it with a fingertip. "Oh, I'm bleeding."

"Oh, damn. I'm sorry, I should have mentioned that cup had a chip in the rim," Gold said, jumping up and pulling his handkerchief from his breast pocket. He pulled his chair next to hers and began dabbing her lip with one hand while the other rested on the side of her neck, holding her in place.

"It's ok. It was an accident. I should have looked down," she said between dabs. His nursing of the wound felt strangely intimate, and Lacey felt a sudden swell of familiarity at his touch.

He was so close to her that she could feel the body heat radiating off of him. As she became aware of him, the hand on her neck suddenly felt very hot and she flushed all over in response to him. He looked up from his work then, his eyes meeting hers. He held her gaze for what felt like hours, then the handkerchief was discarded hastily and both of his hands were on her neck. He was pulling her closer... closer... His lips brushed hers lightly and when she didn't pull away, he deepened the kiss, urging her lips apart with a little nudge from his tongue. Before she could think, Lacey was returning the kiss, her hand running through the silky soft tendrils of hair at the base of his neck, tugging it, pulling him closer. The kiss broke and his lips trailed down her neck, leaving moist kisses in their wake. She was leaning into him now, the fingers of one hand still tangled in his hair while the other hand rested on his thigh. Her breathing was coming more rapidly as he sucked on her collarbone before returning to her lips and kissing her with a passion she never knew this seemingly calm and in control man could possess.

Suddenly, her sense came back to her and Lacey was pushing Gold away with trembling hands. The kiss broke, leaving them both breathing heavily.

He looked away from her, too embarrassed by his forwardness to meet her eyes.

"What was that?" Lacey breathed, her fingers grasping the lapels of his jacket as she held him at arm's length.

"I'm sorry," Gold replied, still not looking at her. "It won't happen again. You can show yourself out."

He picked up his cane and disappeared out the back door, leaving Lacey sitting there for a few seconds, dazed, staring at the cup on his desk. There was something about it. It was like she'd seen it before, but that thought was ridiculous. Before last night, she'd barely said two words to the man, let alone shared tea with him.

Lacey stood to leave, picking up her purse and knocking her teacup off Mr. Gold's desk in her haste. "Damn," she grumbled, bending to pick up the cup. The cup had broken in two and spilled it's contents onto the hardwood floor. She looked around for something to clean the spill, and not finding anything suitable, she pulled some tissues from her purse and did her best. She dried the pieces of the cup and set them on Gold's desk and hastily scrawled an apology on a pad of paper he'd left sitting there. In it she promised to pay for the cup, damaged though it was, if he would come to the library later to tell her it's worth.

Shaking it off, she finally got up and walked back to the library where she couldn't think of anything else for the rest of the day but the kiss they'd shared and the strange way her body reacted to it.


End file.
